Method for methanol independent induction from methanol inducible promoters in Pichia

ABSTRACT

A method for producing a polypeptide in a methylotrophic yeast host cell is described, where expression of the polypeptide is controlled by a methanol inducible promoter, including: i) expression of a positive regulator from a non-native promoter, the positive regulator activating transcription from the methanol inducible promoter, and ii) no addition of methanol.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 national application ofPCT/EP2008/050870 filed Jan. 25, 2008, which claims priority or thebenefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 of Danish application no. 2007 00122 filedJan. 26, 2007 and U.S. provisional application No. 60/887,029 filed Jan.29, 2007, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

This application contains a Sequence Listing in computer readable form.The computer readable form is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for producing a polypeptide ina methylotrophic yeast host cell, wherein expression of the polypeptideis controlled by a methanol inducible promoter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Eukaryotic organisms are widely used in industry as host cells forproducing polypeptide for, e.g., pharmaceutical and industrialapplications. The ability to manipulate gene transcription andexpression gives the basis for providing higher production yields.

Conventionally, maximal expression of a gene in a eukaryotic organism isachieved by amplifying in the chromosome an expression cassettecontaining a single promoter operably linked to a gene encoding thepolypeptide of interest and an amplifier selective marker.

Controlled expression is often desirable. In methylotrophic yeast it hasbeen known for long that certain promoters are dependent on the presenceof methanol in the growth medium for the induction of transcription.This induction by methanol requires the presence of additional factors,however, the exact mechanism of action for such factors have not beenelucidated. Examples of positive factors known from yeast include Mxr1p,described as a key positive regulator required for methanol utilizationin Pichia pastoris (Lin-Cereghino et al., 2006, Mol Cell Biol 26(3):883-897).

Examples of these methanol dependent promoters have been described inseveral yeast cells belonging to the group of yeast known asmethylotrophic yeast. The promoters controlling expression of theenzymes involved in methanol metabolism in these organisms areparticularly strong, and these promoters are generally used to controlthe heterologous expression of proteins in yeast. However, the specificcarbon source used for the cultivation of these host cells has anenormous influence on the regulation of methanol metabolism promoters.Methanol and glycerol are considered as adequate substrates formethylotrophic yeast expression systems, while glucose has beenconsidered inadequate (EP 299108). It is therefore desirable ifexpression from the known methanol metabolism promoters can be made lessdependent on the substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a method for producing a polypeptide in amethylotrophic yeast host cell, wherein expression of the polypeptide iscontrolled by a methanol inducible promoter, comprising: i) expressionof a positive regulator from a non-native promoter, said positiveregulator activating transcription from the methanol inducible promoter,and ii) no addition of methanol. The invention further discloses amethod for increasing the expression level of a heterologous polypeptideunder the control of a methanol inducible promoter, comprising providingconstitutive expression of the prm1 gene.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the controlled expression ofpolypeptides from methanol inducible promoters. Examples of thesepromoters have been described in several yeast cells belonging to thegroup of yeast known as methylotrophic yeast. In the context of thepresent invention a methylotrophic yeast is defined as a group of yeastwhich can utilize methanol as a sole carbon source for their growth. Thepromoters for the enzymes involved in methanol metabolism in theseorganisms are particularly strong, and these promoters (methanolmetabolism promoters) are generally used to control the heterologousexpression of proteins in yeast.

Known members of methylotrophic yeast host cells belong to the generaselected from the group consisting of Pichia, Hansenula, Candida,Torulopsis. According to the invention the Pichia host cell can in oneembodiment be selected from the group consisting of P. pastoris, P.methanolica, P. angusta, P. thermomethanolica. The Hansenula or Candidahost cells can be selected from the group consisting of H. polymorpha,and C. boidinii.

Several promoters have previously been isolated and described in theliterature from which the expression of heterologous polypeptides can becontrolled by the addition of methanol to the growth medium. Suchpromoters include but are not limited to e.g. the AOX1 promoter (AlcoholOxidase promoter), DHAS promoter (or DAS promoter) (dihydroxyacetonesynthase promoter), FDH promoter (or FMDH promoter) (formatedehydrogenase promoter), MOX promoter (Methanol Oxidase promoter), AOX2promoter, ZZA1, PEX5-, PEX8-, PEX14-promoter. Particularly the promotersuseful in the present invention are promoters for enzymes involved inthe methanol metabolism. Such promoters may be isolated from yeasts bythe skilled person using conventional techniques. All of the abovementioned promoters have already been isolated from particular membersof the group of methylotrophic yeast and by homology searchescorresponding promoters from other members can easily be identified.This is further illustrated by the examples included herein. Moreparticularly the promoters are selected from the group consisting of theformate dehydrogenase (FMD or FMDH) promoter, the methanol oxidase (MOX)promoters, the dihydroxyacetone synthase (DAS or DHAS) promoter or thealcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoter.

Normally all of the above promoters require the presence of methanol fortheir induction. This induction by methanol requires the presence ofadditional factors (such as transcription factors), however, the exactmechanism of action for such factors have not been elucidated. In yeaste.g. Mxr1p, has been described as a key positive regulator required formethanol utilization in Pichia pastoris (Lin-Cereghino et al., 2006, MolCell Biol 26(3): 883-897).

The inventors of the present invention have discovered that thecontrolled expression of a single positive factor, encoded by the Prm1gene from Pichia pastoris, as described herein, can be sufficient inorder to induce transcription from several methanol inducible promoterswithout the need for methanol in the growth medium. As disclosed hereinthis principle has been demonstrated using the Prm1 protein as a modelprotein for the positive activator and using the AOX1 or the DASpromoters for the controlled expression of a reporter polypeptide. Theresults obtained have shown that it is possible to induce the AOX1 orthe DAS promoters simply by controlling the expression of the prm1 geneand without the presence of methanol in the growth medium.

In one embodiment of the invention the positive regulator is expressedconstitutively from a suitable promoter. Preferably the promoter is notthe native promoter meaning that the promoter controlling the expressionof the positive regulator is different from the promoter normallycontrolling the expression. In the context of the present invention suchpreferred promoters are termed “non-native”. The promoter could still benative to the host organism but it will be foreign in the context of thegene in question, e.g. the prm1 gene. In one particular embodiment thepromoter is selected from the group consisting of the GAP promoter(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter), the TEF1 promoter(Translational elongation factor EF-1 alpha promoter), and the PGKpromoter (phosphoglycerate kinase promoter). The host cell according tothe invention would normally express the positive regulator from anendogenous gene present on the chromosome in addition to the expressioncontrolled by the non-native promoter as described above. In a furtherembodiment the endogenous copy of the gene encoding the positiveregulator could be inactivated, e.g. by deletion, or the normal promotercontrolling the endogenous copy of the gene could be replaced by thechosen non-native promoter.

In another embodiment the expression of the positive regulator iscontrolled from an inducible promoter which is not methanol inducible.

The positive regulator according to the invention is in one embodimentPrm1 as described herein. In one particular embodiment Prm1 comprisesthe amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or an allelic variant thereof;or a fragment thereof that has regulator activity.

In another particular embodiment, Prm1 consists of the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or an allelic variant thereof; or a fragmentthereof; or a substitution, deletion or addition of one or several aminoacids that has regulator activity.

The term “polypeptide fragment” is defined herein as a polypeptidehaving one or more amino acids deleted from the amino and/or carboxylterminus of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a homologous sequence thereof, wherein thefragment has regulator activity.

The term “allelic variant” denotes herein any of two or more alternativeforms of a gene occupying the same chromosomal locus. Allelic variationarises naturally through mutation, and may result in polymorphism withinpopulations. Gene mutations can be silent (no change in the encodedpolypeptide) or may encode polypeptides having altered amino acidsequences. An allelic variant of a polypeptide is a polypeptide encodedby an allelic variant of a gene.

The relatedness between two amino acid sequences such as e.g. betweentwo functional homologues is described by the parameter “identity”.

For purposes of the present invention, the alignment of two amino acidsequences is determined by using the Needle program from the EMBOSSpackage (http://emboss.org) version 2.8.0. The Needle program implementsthe global alignment algorithm described in Needleman, S. B. and Wunsch,C. D. (1970) J. Mol. Biol. 48, 443-453. The substitution matrix used isBLOSUM62, gap opening penalty is 10, and gap extension penalty is 0.5.

The degree of identity between an amino acid sequence of the presentinvention (“invention sequence”; e.g. amino acids 1 to 989 of SEQ ID NO:1 and a different amino acid sequence (“foreign sequence”) is calculatedas the number of exact matches in an alignment of the two sequences,divided by the length of the “invention sequence” or the length of the“foreign sequence”, whichever is the shortest. The result is expressedin percent identity.

An exact match occurs when the “invention sequence” and the “foreignsequence” have identical amino acid residues in the same positions ofthe overlap (in the alignment example below this is represented by “|”).The length of a sequence is the number of amino acid residues in thesequence.

In the purely hypothetical alignment example below, the overlap is theamino acid sequence “HTWGER-NL” of Sequence 1; or the amino acidsequence “HGWGEDANL” of Sequence 2. In the example a gap is indicated bya “-”.

Hypothetical alignment example:

In one embodiment according to the invention the functional homologue ofPrm1 is at least 70% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1, particularly at least80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1, particularly at least 85% identical toSEQ ID NO: 1, particularly at least 90%, more particularly at least 95%,most particularly at least 98% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1.

In another embodiment the functional homologue of Prm1 is encoded by apolynucleotide which hybridizes under at least low stringency conditionswith (i) nucleotides 1 to 2970 of SEQ ID NO: 2, or (ii) a complementarystrand of (i).

In another embodiment the functional homologue of Prm1 is encoded by apolynucleotide which hybridizes under at least medium stringencyconditions with (i) nucleotides 1 to 2970 of SEQ ID NO: 2, or (ii) acomplementary strand of (i).

In another embodiment the functional homologue of Prm1 is encoded by apolynucleotide which hybridizes under at least high stringencyconditions with (i) nucleotides 1 to 2970 of SEQ ID NO: 2, or (ii) acomplementary strand of (i).

In another embodiment the functional homologue of Prm1 is encoded by apolynucleotide which hybridizes under very high stringency conditionswith (i) nucleotides 1 to 2970 of SEQ ID NO: 2, or (ii) a complementarystrand of (i).

The positive regulator according to the invention may also be afunctional homologue of Prm1 isolated from other yeast cells. Suchfunctional homologues can be isolated starting from the sequence shownin SEQ ID NO: 2, e.g. by using SEQ ID NO: 2 or a fragment thereof, todesign a nucleic acid probe to identify and clone DNA encodingpolypeptides having regulator activity from strains of different generaor species according to methods well known in the art. In particular,such probes can be used for hybridization with the genomic or cDNA ofthe genus or species of interest, following standard Southern blottingprocedures, in order to identify and isolate the corresponding genetherein. Such probes can be considerably shorter than the entiresequence, but should be at least 14, preferably at least 25, morepreferably at least 35, and most preferably at least 70 nucleotides inlength. It is, however, preferred that the nucleic acid probe is atleast 100 nucleotides in length. For example, the nucleic acid probe maybe at least 200 nucleotides, preferably at least 300 nucleotides, morepreferably at least 400 nucleotides, or most preferably at least 500nucleotides in length. Even longer probes may be used, e.g., nucleicacid probes which are at least 600 nucleotides, at least preferably atleast 700 nucleotides, more preferably at least 800 nucleotides, or mostpreferably at least 900 nucleotides in length. Both DNA and RNA probescan be used. The probes are typically labelled for detecting thecorresponding gene (for example, with ³²P, ³H, ³⁵S, biotin, or avidin).

A genomic DNA or cDNA library prepared from such other organisms may,therefore, be screened for DNA which hybridizes with the probesdescribed above and which encodes a polypeptide having regulatoractivity. Genomic or other DNA from such other organisms may beseparated by agarose or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, or otherseparation techniques. DNA from the libraries or the separated DNA maybe transferred to and immobilized on nitrocellulose or other suitablecarrier material. In order to identify a clone or DNA which ishomologous with SEQ ID NO: 2 or a subsequence thereof, the carriermaterial is used in a Southern blot.

For purposes of the present invention, hybridization indicates that thenucleotide sequence hybridizes to a labelled nucleic acid probecorresponding to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2, itscomplementary strand, or a subsequence thereof, under very low to veryhigh stringency conditions. Molecules to which the nucleic acid probehybridizes under these conditions can be detected using X-ray film.

For long probes of at least 100 nucleotides in length, very low to veryhigh stringency conditions are defined as prehybridization andhybridization at 42° C. in 5×SSPE, 0.3% SDS, 200 μg/ml sheared anddenatured salmon sperm DNA, and either 25% formamide for very low andlow stringencies, 35% formamide for medium and medium-high stringencies,or 50% formamide for high and very high stringencies, following standardSouthern blotting procedures for 12 to 24 hours optimally.

For long probes of at least 100 nucleotides in length, the carriermaterial is finally washed three times each for 15 minutes using 2×SSC,0.2% SDS preferably at least at 45° C. (very low stringency), morepreferably at least at 50° C. (low stringency), more preferably at leastat 55° C. (medium stringency), more preferably at least at 60° C.(medium-high stringency), even more preferably at least at 65° C. (highstringency), and most preferably at least at 70° C. (very highstringency).

In a particular embodiment, the wash is conducted using 0.2×SSC, 0.2%SDS preferably at least at 45° C. (very low stringency), more preferablyat least at 50° C. (low stringency), more preferably at least at 55° C.(medium stringency), more preferably at least at 60° C. (medium-highstringency), even more preferably at least at 65° C. (high stringency),and most preferably at least at 70° C. (very high stringency). Inanother particular embodiment, the wash is conducted using 0.1×SSC, 0.2%SDS preferably at least at 45° C. (very low stringency), more preferablyat least at 50° C. (low stringency), more preferably at least at 55° C.(medium stringency), more preferably at least at 60° C. (medium-highstringency), even more preferably at least at 65° C. (high stringency),and most preferably at least at 70° C. (very high stringency).

As described above the positive regulator according to the invention mayalso be a functional homologue of Prm1 isolated from other yeast cells.According to one embodiment of the invention one such candidate could beMut3 encoded by the mut3 gene from Hansenula polymorpha (syn. Pichiaangusta). In the examples provided herein Prm1 has been overproduced inPichia pastoris. It is however possible that the same effect can beobtained by overproducing Mut3 in Pichia or Prm1 in Hansenula or Mut3 inHansenula. This has not been tested.

Therefore in a further embodiment of the invention the positiveregulator is Mut3.

An increase in the level of positive regulator present in the host cellcan also be provided by simply having multiple copies of the geneencoding the regulator present in the host cell.

Even though the exact mechanism of action of the positive regulator,Prm1, has not been elucidated it is most likely that the regulator willbind to the promoter region of the methanol inducible promoter. In oneparticular embodiment of the invention the methanol inducible promotercontrolling the expression of a heterologous polypeptide is thereforeprovided with additional binding sites for the positive regulatorthereby increasing the positive effect of the regulator.

The positive effect provided by increasing the level of positiveregulator in the cell could be dependent on the presence other factorsor it could be independent. One such other factor could be the Mxr1protein (Lin-Cereghino et al., 2006, Mol Cell Biol 26(3): 883-897).Therefore in a further embodiment according to the invention expressionof the mxr1 gene is also controlled by a non-native promoter,particularly the promoter selected from the group consisting of the GAPpromoter, TEF1 promoter, and PGK promoter.

In the production methods of the present invention, the cells arecultivated in a nutrient medium suitable for production of thepolypeptide using methods well known in the art. For example, the cellmay be cultivated by shake flask cultivation, and small-scale orlarge-scale fermentation (including continuous, batch, fed-batch, orsolid state fermentations) in laboratory or industrial fermentorsperformed in a suitable medium and under conditions allowing thepolypeptide to be expressed and/or isolated. The cultivation takes placein a suitable nutrient medium comprising carbon and nitrogen sources andinorganic salts, using procedures known in the art. Suitable media areavailable from commercial suppliers or may be prepared according topublished compositions (e.g., in catalogues of the American Type CultureCollection). If the polypeptide is secreted into the nutrient medium,the polypeptide can be recovered directly from the medium. If thepolypeptide is not secreted, it can be recovered from cell lysates.

The polypeptides may be detected using methods known in the art that arespecific for the polypeptides. These detection methods may include useof specific antibodies, formation of an enzyme product, or disappearanceof an enzyme substrate. For example, an enzyme assay may be used todetermine the activity of the polypeptide as described herein.

The resulting polypeptide may be recovered using methods known in theart. For example, the polypeptide may be recovered from the nutrientmedium by conventional procedures including, but not limited to,centrifugation, filtration, extraction, spray-drying, evaporation, orprecipitation.

The polypeptides produced by the present invention may be purified by avariety of procedures known in the art including, but not limited to,chromatography (e.g., ion exchange, affinity, hydrophobic,chromatofocusing, and size exclusion), electrophoretic procedures (e.g.,preparative isoelectric focusing), differential solubility (e.g.,ammonium sulfate precipitation), SDS-PAGE, or extraction (see, e.g.,Protein Purification, J.-C. Janson and Lars Ryden, editors, VCHPublishers, New York, 1989).

In one particular embodiment the polypeptide produced from the host cellis heterologous to the host cell. In another embodiment the polypeptideis homologous to the host cell.

The effects observed in the present invention are illustrated in theexamples below showing that expression from selected promoters can beobserved without the addition of methanol to the growth medium. Additionof methanol could possibly further enhance the observed effect ofincreasing the level of Prm1 in the host cell. A further embodiment ofthe invention is therefore a method as described in all embodimentsabove for increasing the expression level of a heterologous polypeptideunder the control of a methanol inducible promoter in which methodmethanol is present in the medium, and Prm1 is expressed at increasedlevels compared to a wild type cell. Preferably expression of the prm1gene is constitutive.

EXAMPLES Materials and Methods

Strains and Plasmids

Pichia pastoris GS115 (genotype:his4, Invitrogen™) was used as the hoststrain for protein expression. E. coli DH5alpha (Invitrogen™), TOP10(Invitrogen™) or XL10 (Stratagene™) were used as cloning hosts inconstruction of the expression vectors. The plasmids pPIC9K and pGAPZα(Invitrogen™) were used for the construction of expression plasmids andpCR2.1-TOPO (Invitrogen™), pT7Blue (Novagen™) were used for sub-cloningof PCR fragments.

Transformation of Pichia pastoris:

Pichia pastoris strains are transformed by electroporation according tothe manufacturer's protocol (Invitrogen, Cat. #K1710-01). Competentcells are prepared as described and stored in 40 μl aliquots at −70° C.Linearized plasmid DNA (500 ng) is mixed with 40 μl of competent cellsand stored on ice for 5 min. Cells are transferred to an ice-cold 0.2 cmelectroporation cuvette. Transformation is performed using a BioRad™GenePulser II. Parameters used were 1500 V, 25 μF and 200Ω. Immediatelyafter pulsing, cells are suspended in 1 ml of ice cold 1 M sorbitol. Themixtures are plated on the relevant selection plates.

Medium and Assay

RD medium (1M sorbitol, 2% dextrose, 1.34% yeast nitrogen base, 4×10⁻⁵%biotin, 0.005% L-glutamic acid, L-methinonine, L-lysine, L-leucine, andL-isoleucine, 2% agar noble) was used for the regeneration oftransformants from Pichia pastoris GS115 with his4 selection. In case ofthe selection with zeocin resistance, YPD agar (1% yeast extract, 2%peptone, 2% glucose, 2% bacto agar) supplemented with 1M sorbitol and100 micro g/mLzeocin was used for the regeneration. YPD (1% yeastextract, 2% peptone and 2% glucose), YPGly (1% yeast extract, 2% peptoneand 2% glycerol) were used for the protein expression with Pichiapastoris. When necessary, methanol was added to the culture broth after1 day and 2 days cultivation at the final concentration 1% or 2% (v/v).E. coli strains were cultivated with LB medium (1.0% tryptone, 0.5%yeast extract, 1.0% NaCl) with relevant antibiotics.

Phytase Assay Method:

7.5 mM of sodium phytate dissolved in the acetate buffer pH 5.5 is mixedwith ½ volume of enzyme sample solution in the same acetate buffercontaining 0.01% Tween 20. After the incubation at 37° C. for 30minutes, the stop reagent containing 20 mM ammonium heptamolybdate and0.06% ammonium vanadate dissolved in 10.8% nitric acid is added togenerate yellow complex with released inorganic phosphate. The amount ofreleased phosphate is measured photometrically as the absorbance at 405nm. One phytase unit is defined as the amount of enzyme to release 1μmol inorganic phosphate per minute.

Phytase Plate Assay:

20 μL of supernatant from the culture broth after 2-5 days incubation ofthe transformants is applied into a 4 mm hole punched in the followingplate: 1% agarose plate containing 0.1 M Sodium acetate (pH 4.5) and0.1% Inositol Hexaphosphoric acid. The plate is incubated at 37° C. overnight and a buffer consisting of 1M CaCl₂ and 0.2M Sodium acetate (pH4.5) is poured over the plate. The plate is left at room temperature for1 h and the phytase activity identified as a clear zone.

PCR Conditions

PCR reaction was typically carried out in the following or equivalentlyconditions: Reaction mixtures contained 2 mM dNTP, 10 pmol of forwardand reverse primer, 2.8 unit of Expand high fidelity mixture (Roche), 1×Expand high fidelity buffer (Roche), and 100 μg of template DNA.Reaction conditions are, for example;

Temp (° C.) Time Cycle 95 5 min 1 95 15 sec 35 48 30 sec 68 3.5 min 6810 min 1

Example 1 Constitutive Expression of Prm1 in a Strain Expressing aPhytase Gene Under DAS1 Promoter Control

Cloning of TEF1 Promoter and Construction of pNo-TP10

Cloning of TEF1 (Translation Elongation Factor1) promoter from Pichiapastoris was carried out by the following procedure. By alignment of thehomologous regions of the TEF1 proteins from the yeasts Saccharomycescervisiae, Candida albicanse, and Hanseniaspora uvarum, the followingdegenerated primes were designed.

TEF1(f); SEQ ID NO: 6 and 7 5′-ttyaartaygcntgggt-3′ (protein; FKYAWV)TEF5(r); SEQ ID NO: 8 and 9 5′-arytgytcrtgrtgcatytc-3′ (protein;EMHHEQL)PCR was carried out using 50 microL of reaction including 4 mM dNTP, 10microM of each primer, 1 unit of Taq polymerase (Roche), 1× Taq buffer(Roche), and 100 ng of genomic DNA of GS115 DNA. The PCR conditions wereas shown below.

temp time cycle 94° C. 1 min 30 55° C. 1 min 72° C. 3 minThe amplified 0.7 kbp fragment was purified and sub-cloned intoTA-cloning vector, pTBlue7. The resulting plasmid was used for thesequence determination. The obtained DNA sequence and presumed aminoacid sequence are shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4 respectively.Since the obtained sequences had similarity to known TEF1 proteins,cloning of the upstream region (SEQ ID NO: 5) comprising the promotersequence was carried out using DNA walking Speed Up premix kit (Seegene,K1501) together with the following specific primers.

TEF-TSP1; 5′-tgacggtaacgtggtacttt-3′ SEQ ID NO: 10 TEF-TSP2;5′-ggagtctcgaacttccacaa-3′ SEQ ID NO: 11 TEF-TSP3;5′-agcgatgtcgatggtgatac-3′ SEQ ID NO: 12PCR was carried out using the 50 microL of reaction mixture including 4mM dNTP, 10 microM of TEF-TSP1 primer, 2.5 microM of DW-ACP2 primer inthe kit, 1 unit of Taq polymerase (Roche), 1× Taq-buffer (Roche), and100 ng of genomic DNA. The PCR program was as shown below.

temp time cycle 94° C. 5 min 1 42° C. 1 min 72° C. 2 min 94° C. 30 sec20 55° C. 30 sec 72° C. 100 sec 72° C. 7 min 1A second PCR was carried out using 20 microL of reaction mixtureincluding 2 mM dNTP, 10 microM of TEF-TSP2 primer, 10 microM of DW-ACPNprimer from the kit, 0.4 units of Taq polymerase (Roche), 1× Taq-buffer(Roche), and 5 micro L of the purified PCR product from the first roundwith the following program:

temp time cycle 94° C. 3 min 1 94° C. 30 sec 30 58° C. 30 sec 72° C. 100sec 72° C. 7 min 1A third PCR was carried out using 50 microL of reaction including 2 mMdNTP, 10 microM of TEF-TSP3 primer, 10 microM of Universal primer fromthe kit, 1 unit of Taq polymerase (Roche), 1× Taq-buffer (Roche), and 1micro L of 10 times diluted PCR product from the second round with thefollowing program:

temp time cycle 94° C. 3 min 1 94° C. 30 sec 30 65° C. 30 sec 72° C. 100sec 72° C. 7 min 1After three times nested PCR, a 1.2 kbp fragment was amplified. Thisfragment was subcloned into pT7Blue and the sequence was determined. Theobtained sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO: 5. The 1.2 kbp region upstreamof TEF1 ORF was used as TEF1 promoter for further experiment.

The plasmid pNo-TP10 is an expression plasmid for bacterial phytaseunder TEF1 promoter and carries a zeocin resistant marker gene.Construction of pNo-TP10 was carried out as described. The TEF1 promoterand the codon optimized phytase gene was cloned from genomic DNA ofPichia pastoris A94 (see Example 2) using the following primers. Primer1 and 2 were used for the amplification of TEF1 promoter and primer3 and4 were used for phytase gene.

(SEQ ID NO: 13) primer1; 5′-tacagggcgcgtggggatatcggatccagctcatctaggga-3′(BamHI is underlined) (SEQ ID NO: 14) primer2;5′-tgaagatggatgggaatctcatatggttggcgaataactaaaatgtatgt-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 15)primer3; 5′-acatacattttagttattcgccaaccatatgagattcccatccatcttca-3′ (SEQID NO: 16) primer4;5′-taattcgcggccgccctagggaattcttactcggtgacagcgcactcggg-3′ (EcoRI isunderlined)PCR was carried out using 50 microL reaction including 2 mM dNTP, 10microM of each primer, 2.8 unit of Expand high fiderlity mixture(Roche), 1× Expand high fidelity buffer (Roche), and 100 ng of genomicDNA. The PCR program was as shown below.

temp time cycle 94° C. 2 min 1 94° C. 10 sec 11 50° C. 30 sec 68° C. 3min 94° C. 10 sec 20 50° C. 30 sec 68° C. 3 min + 20 sec/cycle 68° C. 7min 1An amplified 1.2 kbp fragment of the TEF1 promoter and a 1.5 kbpfragment containing the phytase gene including secretion signal werepurified using gel extraction and they were subjected to a second roundof PCR with primer1 and primer4 in order to fuse these fragments usingthe overlap generated in the first PCR. PCR was carried out using the 50microL of reaction including 2 mM dNTP, 10 microM of each primer, 2.8unit of Expand high fiderlity (Roche), 1× Expand high fidelity buffer(Roche), and 1 μl of the purified TEF1 promoter and 1 μl of the purifiedphytase gene. The PCR program was as shown below.

temp time cycle 94° C. 2 min 1 94° C. 10 sec 11 58° C. 30 sec 68° C. 3min 94° C. 10 sec 20 58° C. 30 sec 68° C. 3 min + 20 sec/cycle 68° C. 7min 1The amplified 2.7 kbp fragment was sub-cloned into pT7Blue and theresultant plasmid was designated pT12-8. The BamHI-EcoRI fragment frompT12-8 including the TEF1 promoter and the phytase gene was ligated withpGAPZα cut with BglII and EcoRI to result in pNo-TP10.Cloning of DAS1 Promoter and Construction of pNo-DP3

The DAS1 promoter is known to be strongly inducible by methanol inCandida boidinii(Yurimoto, H. Komeda, T. Lim, C. R. Nakagawa, T. Kondo,K. Kato, N. Sakai, Y.; Biochim. Bio-phys. Acta 1493(1-2):56-63 (2000).)The DAS1 gene encoding dihydroxyacetone synthase was found in the genomesequence of Pichia pastoris by blast search as the homologue to the DAS1gene of Candida boindinii (EMBL: AF086822). Around 1 kb of5′-untlanslated region of the DAS1 gene was isolated as a promoterregion from genomic DNA of Pichia pastoris by PCR using the primersshown below;

primer43; (SEQ ID NO: 17) 5′-ttttggtcatgcatgacgtcatagggagaaaaaccgagac-3′(NsiI site is underlined) primer44; (SEQ ID NO: 18)5′-ctcatatgttttgatgtttgatagtttga-3′ (NdeI site is underlined)The amplified 1 kb fragment was sub-cloned into the NsiI/NdeI sites ofpCR2.1-TOPO and used for the sequence determination of this fragment(SEQ ID NO: 19). The 1 kb of DAS1 promoter region was excised as anNsiI/NdeI fragment from pCR2.1-TOPO and ligated with pNo-TP10 digestedwith NsiI/NdeI generating pNo-DP2. To change the marker gene from zeocinresistant gene to His4 gene, a 1.4 kb AatII fragment containing the DAS1promoter and a part of bacterial phytase gene from pNo-DP2 was ligatedto a 9.0 kb of AatII fragment from pPICNoT-G01651 (See Example 2)containing the rest of phytase gene and the His4 gene and bacterialvector. The generated plasmid was named pNo-DP3.Cloning of Prm1 and Construction of pGPrm

A gene, which we have named, Prm1 (positive regulator for methanol), andwhich encodes a novel positive regulator of methanol induciblepromoters, was isolated from genomic DNA of Pichia pastoris by PCR usingthe primers shown below;

(SEQ ID NO: 20) primer 32; 5′-actatttcgaaatgcctcctaaacatcggctg-3′,(BstBI site is underlined) (SEQ ID NO: 21) primer 33;5′-gtcgacttaactgcaaaatttattg-3′ (SalI is underlined)PCR was carried out using the 50 μl of reaction including 1×LA PCRbuffer II (TAKARA), 2.5 U of LA taq (TAKARA), 2.5 mM MgCl₂, 2.5 mM dNTP,1 microM of each primer, 100 ng of genomic DNA with the followingprogram:

temp time cycles 94° C. 30 sec 30 55° C. 30 sec 72° C. 4 min

The obtained 1 kb of fragment was sub-cloned into pCR2.1-TOPO. Afterconfirmation of the sequence, a 1 kbp fragment comprising the Prm1 gene(SEQ ID NO: 2) was cloned into pGAPZα (Invitrogen) using the BstBI andSalI restriction sites, resulting in pGPrm. The plasmid pGPrm carriesthe Prm1 gene under GAP promoter control and a zeocin resistance gene asthe selection marker.

Constitutive Expression of Prm1 in DAS40, a Strain Expressing PhytaseUnder DAS1 Promoter

The plasmid pNo-DP3 was transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 with his4selection. The generated transformants were re-isolated and tested forphytase expression using YPD medium with methanol addition. Onetransformant, DAS40, was selected as the strain which showed phytaseactivity in presence of methanol.

The plasmid pGPrm was transformed into the Pichia pastoris DAS40, andtransformants were isolated on zeocin plates. Generated transformantswere cultivated in YPD medium at 30° C. for 2 days with agitation, andphytase activity in the supernatant of the culture broth was measured byphytase assay. The results are shown in the table below.

Strain Relative phytase activity Transformant A 44.2 Transformant B 13.3Transformant C 7.6 DAS40 1

Example 2 Constitutive Expression of Prm1 in the Strain Expressing aPhytase Gene Under AOX1 Promoter

Media:

MD (1.34% YNB, 4×10⁻⁵% biotin, 2% dextrose)

BMSY (1% yeast extract, 2% peptone, 100 mM potassium phosphate buffer,pH 6.0, 1.34% YNB, 4×10⁻⁵% biotin, 1% sorbitol)

Vector:

pPIC-NoT, Pichia pastoris expression vector under AOX1 promoter, whichwas derived by eliminating the alpha-secretion signal from pPIC9K(Invitrogen™).

To create pPIC-NoT vector plasmid pPIC9K was digested with BamHI andEcoRI, and the digested major fragment was isolated from agarose gel. Asynthetic DNA fragment containing BamHI and EcoRI sites were created byannealing the following two oligoes:

NoT-1 P-GATCCTACGTAGCTGAG (SEQ ID NO: 22) and NoT-2 P-AATTCTCAGCTACGTAG(SEQ ID NO: 23)The above synthetic DNA fragment was ligated into the digested pPIC9Kplasmid, and the resulting vector pPIC-NoT was verified by sequencing.PCR Primers:

Oligo Name Oligo Seq OA-Na GATCCAAAC CA TGAGATTCCCATCCATCTTCACTG (SEQ IDNO: 24) OA-Nb CAAAC C ATGAGATTCCCATCCATCTTCACTG (SEQ ID NO: 25) OAPhy-RCATTCTGTTCCTCTCTCTTTTCCAAGGAAACACCTTC (SEQ ID NO: 26) OAPhy-FggaaaagagaGAGGAACAGAATGGAATGAAGTTGG (SEQ ID NO: 27) OPhy-CaAATTCTTACTCGGTGACAGCGCACTC (SEQ ID NO: 28) OPhy-CbCTTACTCGGTGACAGCGCACTC (SEQ ID NO: 29)Plasmid:pPICNoT-G01651

A codon optimized Citrobacter braakii phytase gene was used inpPICNoT-G01651 in order to increase the expression yield of the cbphytase in Pichia pastoris. The wild type Citrobacter braakii phytasegene was modified based on P. pastoris-preferred codon usage, by meansof replacing rare codons, eliminating repetitive AT and decreasing theGC content. The designed sequence was also analyzed to avoid potentialintron.

The modified phytase genes (G01651) fused to a modified alpha-factorsecretion signal sequence were designed based on the codon bias of P.pastoris. The P. pastoris codon usage table is from www.kazusa.jp aswell as Zhao et al, 2000 (Zhao X, Huo K K, Li Y Y. Synonymous condonusage in Pichia pastoris. Chinese Journal of Biotechnology, 2000, 16(3):308-311). Rare codons for arginine were eliminated. Besides substitutionof rare codons, the total G+C content was decreased below 50%, andAT-rich regions were modified to avoid premature termination. Inaddition, cryptic introns within modified coding regions were eliminatedas described in co-pending Danish patent application PA 200601042/NZ10978.000-DK. The synthetic gene sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO:30 (complete ORF without signal sequence).

The expression plasmid pPICNoT-G01651 was generated as described below:

The PCR fragment encoding the mature form of cb phytase (SEQ ID NO: 30)fused in-frame with optimized α-factor signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 31)was created by overlap extension PCR method as follows: the fragment Icontaining α-factor signal peptide was amplified from pJ2:G01468 plasmid(pJ2:G01468 was generated by DNA2.0, and contains the mature form ofplectasin fused with α-factor secretion signal which was modified basedon P. pastoris codon usage) with specific primers OA-Na and OAPhy-R,while the fragment II encoding mature phytase was amplified from plasmidpJ2:G01651 (generated by DNA2.0 and contains the synthetic phytase geneencoding mature form of C. braakii phytase) using specific primersOAPhy-F and OPhy-Ca. Then fragment I and II were mixed and used as atemplate for 2^(nd) step PCR amplification with specific primers OA-Na/band OPhy-Ca/b to obtain the targeted PCR fragment. The DNA fragment waspurified by gel extraction kit then sub-cloned into pPIC-NoT vector atBamHI and EcoRI sites. The resulting expression construct was confirmedby sequencing.

Expression Test in a 3 ml Scale:

Expression test of the selected transformants was done in a 3 ml scaleusing 24-deep well plates (Whatman, UK). Each transformant was grown inBMSY media for 2.5 days at 28° C. with vigorous shaking (200 rpm); then300 μl 0.5% methanol was added to each well every day for 4 days toinduce heterogeneous gene expression. Samples of medium culture weretaken daily during induction, stored at −20° C. for phytase activityassay.

Constitutive Expression of Prm1 in A94, a Strain Expressing PhytaseUnder AOX1 Promoter

The expression plasmid pPICNoT-G01651 was transformed into Pichiapastoris GS115 with his4 selection, and generated transformants on MDagar with 1M sorbitol were re-isolated and tested for phytase expressionin 3 ml scale. One isolate, A94, was selected as the strain which showsphytase activity in presence of methanol. The plasmid pGPrm wassubsequently transformed into A94 and transformants were isolated withzeocin resistance. Isolated transformants were cultivated in YPD mediumat 30° C. for 2 days with agitation, and phytase activities in theculture supernatants were measured by phytase assay. The results areshown in the table below.

Strain Relative phytase activity Transformant 1 1.86 Transformant 2 2.57Transformant 3 3.0 A94 1

Example 3 Gene Disruption of Prm1 in Pichia pastoris GS115 and DerivedStrains

A 1571 bp gene fragment 5′ to the PRM1 gene was amplified by PCR usingthe primers:

JP23/PRM1-5′-forw-NY: (SEQ ID NO: 32) 5′ GCGCGAATTCCACAGGGCTTGCTAAGAAATC3′; and JP26/PRM1-5′-rev -NY: (SEQ ID NO: 33) 5′ GAAGGGAGATTAATACAGGGC3′A 1473 bp gene fragment 3′ to the PRM1 gene was amplified by PCR usingthe primers:

JP17/PRM1-3′-forw-NY: (SEQ ID NO: 34) 5′ GATTGGACCACTGCGCCAGATAC 3′; andJP19/PRM1-3′-rev-NY: (SEQ ID NO: 35) 5′ GCGCGTCGACCCACCCGAGGATAAGAAGG 3′A 3382 bp fragment containing the HIS4 gene including promoter andterminator was amplified by PCR using the primers below (in each end thefragment contains a 20 bp overlap to PRM1 5′ and 3′ regions,respectively, intended for SOE-PCR);

JP13/HIS4-forward-NY: (SEQ ID NO: 36)5′ CCCTGTATTAATCTCCCTTCATCAGAATTGGTTAATTGGTTG 3′; and JP15/HIS4-rev-NY:(SEQ ID NO: 37) 5′ TCTGGCGCAGTGGTCCAATCATCGATAAGCTTTAATGCGG 3′

The three above described gene fragments are fused in the followingorder: PRM1-5′+HIS4+PRM1-3′) using SOE-PCR (Splicing by OverlappingExtension PCR) creating a prm1 deletion fragment having the selectableHIS4 marker flanked by the 5′ prm1 fragment and the 3′ prm1 fragment.

The prm1 deletion fragment was subsequently transformed into GS115(having a his 4-minus phenotype) which allows for selection oftransformants on a minimal medium without histidine. A strain deletedfor the prm1 gene, PFJo435, was characterized by PCR analysis. Threedifferent PCR's were run in order to verify a correct prm1-deletion:

-   -   A) A PCR that would give a product of 704 bp in case PRM1 was        NOT deleted—using primers:

JP58/PRM1-orf-forw-test7: 5′ CTGGAGCAGAGTATACAGCC 3′; (SEQ ID NO: 38)and JP59/PRM1-orf-rev-test8: 5′ CTCAATAAATGCGGGTCTGTG 3′ (SEQ ID NO: 39)

-   -   B) A deletion specific PCR that would give a product of 1950 bp        in case of PRM1 deletion—using primers:

JP31/PRM1-5′-forw-test1: 5′ CCTGGTTGATCAGCTCCACC 3′; (SEQ ID NO: 40) andJP33/HIS4-rev-test3: 5′ CCCGTCAAGTCAGCGTAATGC 3′ (SEQ ID NO: 41)

-   -   C) A deletion specific PCR that would give a product of 1550 bp        in case of PRM1 deletion—using primers:

JP32/PRM1-3′-rev-test2: 5′ CTCCCTCTCCAGCTGCTTCG 3′; (SEQ ID NO: 42) andJP34/HIS4-forw-test4: 5′ CGGTGCCTGACTGCGTTAGC 3′ (SEQ ID NO: 43)Strain PFJo435 did not result in a PCR product from PCR A, but resultedin the predicted deletion specific PCR product from B and C—showing thatPRM1 has been deleted in PFJo435.

A Prm1 gene deletion mutant of GS115, PFJo435, could not grow on MM(1.34% YNB, 4×10⁻⁵% biotin, 2% methanol), while a wild type strain,GS115H, showed nice growth after 2 days cultivation at 30° C. Theexpression levels from the AOX or DAS promoters in the presence ofmethanol, e.g. measured as the phytase gene expression under the controlof the DAS promoter or AOX promoter in DAS40 or A94 derivatives, werereduced in the Prm1 deleted derivatives. The reduced activity isattributed, to some extent by the exogenous Prm1 gene. The results onthe DAS promoter are shown below.

phytase yield phytase yield with methanol with glucose Strainconstruction (relative) (relative) PFJo435/pNo-DP2 (DAS-phytase) 0.0150.9 PFJo435/pNori12 (DAS-phytase + 0.43 3.7 GAP-Prm) DAS 40 1 1DAS40 and pNo-DP2 are described before in example 1. Construction ofpNori12 are shown below.Construction of pNori12

For the co-expression of the phytase gene from the DAS promoter and thePrm 1 gene from the GAP promoter, pNori12 was constructed.

To replace the terminator part, the original terminator of Prm wascloned using following primers:

(SEQ ID NO: 44) pr136;5′-ataaattttgacagttaagtcgacctctgtaaattaattgataatttcaa-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 45)pr137;5′-caatgatgatgatgatgatggtcgacgtttaaacttaattaaaagggaaatttacaagcc-3′

PCR was carried out using a total of 50 microL reaction mixtureincluding 2 mM dNTP, 10 microM of each primer, 2.8 unit of Expand highfidelity plus (Rosche), 1× Expand high fidelity buffer (Rosche), and 100ng of genomic DNA of GS115. The PCR program was as described below.

temp time cycle 94° C. 2 min 1 94° C. 10 sec 11 55° C. 30 sec 68° C. 3min 94° C. 10 sec 20 55° C. 30 sec 68° C. 3 min + 20 sec/cycle 68° C. 7min 1The amplified 500 bp of fragment was inserted in the SalI site of pGPrmusing In-Fusion PCR cloning kit (Clontech) to fuse it with the ORF ofPrm, resulting in pNori11. In order to make the expression plasmid whichhas GAP-Prm and DAS-phytase, the 3354 bp of SnaBI-XmaI fragment whichcarries a phytase expression cassette containing DAS promoter wasisolated from pNo-DP2 and ligated to 5323 bp of XmaI-PmeI fragment ofpNori 11, resulting in pNori12. The plasmid pNori12 carries the Prm1gene under GAP rpmoter control, phytase gene under DAS promoter control,and a zeocin resistant gene as the selection marker.

Example 4 Constitutive Expression of Mxr1

Mxr1, a gene from Pichia pastoris reported to be a positive regulatorfor methanol induction (G. P. Lin-Cereghino et al.; MOLECULAR ANDCELLULAR BIOLOGY, Feb. 2006, p. 883-897 Vol. 26, No. 3), was isolatedfrom genomic DNA of Pichia pastoris by PCR using the primers Mxr-F andMxr-R. The sequence of the primers and the PCR conditions are shownbelow.

PCR Primers:

Oligo name Oligo Seq Mxr-F ATTGAACAACTATTTCGAAACCATGAGCAATCTACCCCC (SEQID NO: 46) Mxr-R GAGTTTTTGTTCTAGAATGACACCACCATCTAGTCGG (SEQ ID NO: 47)

PCR Conditions

Temp (° C.) Time Cycles 95 5 min 1 95 15 sec 35 48 30 sec 68 3.5 min 6810 min 1

A 3.5 kbp PCR fragment digested with BstBI and XbaI was mixed withpGAPZα digested with the same enzymes followed by ligation. Theresulting plasmid pGMxr carries the Mxr1 gene under GAP promoter controland a zeocin resistance gene as the transformation marker. The plasmidpGMxr was transformed into Pichia pastoris DAS40 and/or A94. Thetransformants were isolated on zeocin plates. Generated transformantswere cultivated in YPD medium at 30° C. for 2 days with agitation, andphytase activity in the supernatant of culture broth was measured. Theeffect of constitutive expression of the Mxr 1 gene was observed asincreased phytase activity in YPD medium in the transformants afterintroduction of pGMxr.

Transformant pGMxr phytase activity by plate assay Mxr#23/DAS40 Yes +DAS40 No − Phytase yield (relative) AMxr2/A94 Yes 7.6 A94 No 1

The plasmid pGMxr is modified to replace the selection marker gene withe.g. ura3, ade2, arg4, hygromycin resistant gene, resulting in pGMxr-m.Furthermore, the promoter region can be replaced with another promotersuch as PGK1 promoter or TEF1 promoter, giving pPMxr-m or pTMxr-m. Theplasmid pGMxr-m, pPMxr-m or pTMxr-m is transformed into Pichia pastorisTransformant A or Transformant 3 with necessary modification for thetransformation. Newly generated transformants are cultivated in YPDmedium at 30° C. for 2 days with agitation, and phytase activity in thesupernatant of culture broth is measured.

1. A method for producing a polypeptide in a Pichia yeast host cell, byculturing said host cell comprising an expression vector comprising thepolynucleotide sequence encoding said polypeptide, wherein expression ofthe polypeptide is controlled by a methanol inducible promoter,comprising: i) expression of a positive regulator from a non-nativepromoter, said positive regulator activating transcription from themethanol inducible promoter even in the absence of methanol, and ii) noaddition of methanol; wherein said positive regulator is Prm1 having atleast 98% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the methanol inducible promoter is selected from thegroup consisting of the AOX1 promoter, DHAS promoter, FDH promoter, FMDHpromoter, MOX promoter, AOX2 promoter, ZZA1, PEX5-, PEX8-,PEX14-promoter.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein expressionof the positive regulator is constitutive.
 4. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the positive regulator is consists of Prm1 as set forthin SEQ ID NO:
 1. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein thepositive regulator is under the control of the GAP promoter, TEF1promoter or PGK promoter.
 6. The method according to claim 1, whereinexpression of the positive regulator is inducible.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the gene encoding the positive regulatoris present in multicopy.
 8. The method according claim 2, wherein thePichia host cell is selected from the group consisting of P. pastoris,P. methanolica, P. angusta, P. thermomethanolica.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the promoter controlling the endogenouscopy of the positive regulator is also replaced by a non-nativeconstitutive promoter.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein thepolypeptide is heterologous to the host cell.
 11. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the polypeptide is homologous to the host cell. 12.A method for increasing the expression level of a heterologouspolypeptide under the control of a methanol inducible promoter,comprising providing a Pichia yeast host cell having constitutiveexpression of a Prm1 gene as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2 and expressingsaid heterologous polypeptide in the absence of methanol.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the positive regulator Prm1 has at least99% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1.